Euro Parliament Rejects Genetic Corn

STRASBOURG, France (AP) -- The European Parliament
overwhelmingly voted Tuesday to recommend an end to
the sale of genetically-altered corn in the
15-nation European Union.

By a vote of 407-2, parliament called on the European
Commission to suspend its authorization for imports of
the grain, which was granted last December to
the Swiss company Ciba-Geigy.

The European Commission, the EU's executive agency, is
not bound by the parliament's resolution to change its policy.

Farmers, environmentalists and consumer groups have
protested the imports, which largely come from the
United States, contending the corn hasn't been adequately
proven safe.

Parliament's push to end the corn sales comes as trade
officials from Europe and the United States prepare to meet
in Washington next week to discuss EU regulations for
genetically-altered food products.

Austria and Luxembourg already have banned the corn imports,
saying the herbicides and antibiotic-resistant chemicals used
in its production have not been sufficiently tested.

France banned the cultivation of genetically-modified corn
last February, but is permitting the imports that
carry special labeling.